Guys what should we name the shields? What should we name the yoke? Can't forget the headband, either. What about the cups? And the cables, too. Maybe we can think of a V-name for the earpads? Maybe call them the "Valhalla" because Valhalla is an enormous hall in Norse mythology and earpads are kind of a hall for your ears, and also because Norse mythology? Hmm, we also should name the plastic pieces at the ends of the headband. Oh, yeah, just remembered the cables that go from the cups into the headband. Since it's an orifice we could call the cable entry point the Va...never mind. Do you guys think the stitching should be named? Perhaps "Vasodilatation" just because it starts with V and is a big word and sounds cool, and the stitching is trivial anyways and it makes no sense to name stuff?

I see where you're coming from but relax dude. The hinge is a new feature - why not come up with a name for it especially if Val asked for suggestions? It's fun to suggest and it's kind of cool that a name for their features might come directly from the people using the headphones.

I see where you're coming from but relax dude. The hinge is a new feature - why not come up with a name for it especially if Val asked for suggestions? It's fun to suggest and it's kind of cool that a name for their features might come directly from the people using the headphones.

It's a hinge. Naming a hinge would significantly reduce the amount of professionalism I see in V-Moda.

Would Sennheiser ever name a part of their headphones? Would any of the reputable headphones makers name a part of their headphones? I like that Val asks for suggestions, but I think this is a case where he's trying too hard to interact with us. It's just so childish to name a component.

He's probably looking for a name to include in promotional materials, so that on the manual or box or in press releases or something it would say "The new M-100s are more portable than ever thanks to the new V-Hinge technology". And honestly, stick to something generic like that. If I didn't know V-Moda, I would think the company is a joke if I read "The new M-100s are more portable than ever thanks to the new reVinge/Valiant/Valhalla/Viper hinge mechanism." If I read anything that sounds like an Xbox 360 Gamertag, my opinion would be pretty low.

V-Moda already projects a lifestyle image. They have to be careful not to go too far, or else people won't take them seriously as an audiophile-grade company. They haven't established that level of respect from the audiophile community yet. Yes, we have a decent view of them on head-fi, but V-Moda has a long way to go before its name is as respected as Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, AKG, Denon, Ultrasone, ATH, etc.

Here's my take, with opinions aside about V-MODA's professionalism/marketing strategies. Our community cares solely about SQ. At the forefront that's what matters most to us and it's why we're on this site. I believe Val has that in mind and therefore feels confident interacting with us on this level and having us get first dibs on his product. As far as I'm concerned, I could care less about if V-MODA wants to name their features. If thats what they want to do, more power to them.

With that in mind, I believe this marketing strategy is not aimed at us, but at the general public/consumers. It's how they make their brand and differentiate itself from another brand that starts with a B. The thing is, most of those people don't know a lot about SQ BUT they eat this marketing/branding stuff up. It appeals to them. And that's where V-MODA brings to the table great SQ, features, BQ, AND other lifestyle aspects that would appeal to the everyday consumer. Cool names might just appeal to those people. Actually it does now that I think about it.

As for Val asking for input, it's great that he feels comfortable enough to do that. I'm happy to help, no matter how I feel about whether it's good for them as a company or not. That's not my call and in the end it's V-MODA's. I'm sure they know what they're doing.

I would rather see an advertisement that says the hinges are reinforced with some extra strength steel than they are the new Valhallian Valkyrie hinges made by Odin himself.

Also, cool names do not apply to the general public. What marketing do you see on the beats? Dr. Dre. Thats it. The whole headphone is made of plastic, they have nothing special to call the hinges etc.

Guys what should we name the shields? What should we name the yoke? Can't forget the headband, either. What about the cups? And the cables, too. Maybe we can think of a V-name for the earpads? Maybe call them the "Valhalla" because Valhalla is an enormous hall in Norse mythology and earpads are kind of a hall for your ears, and also because Norse mythology? Hmm, we also should name the plastic pieces at the ends of the headband. Oh, yeah, just remembered the cables that go from the cups into the headband. Since it's an orifice we could call the cable entry point the Va...never mind. Do you guys think the stitching should be named? Perhaps "Vasodilatation" just because it starts with V and is a big word and sounds cool, and the stitching is trivial anyways and it makes no sense to name stuff?

Here's my take, with opinions aside about V-MODA's professionalism/marketing strategies. Our community cares solely about SQ. At the forefront that's what matters most to us and it's why we're on this site. I believe Val has that in mind and therefore feels confident interacting with us on this level and having us get first dibs on his product. As far as I'm concerned, I could care less about if V-MODA wants to name their features. If thats what they want to do, more power to them.
With that in mind, I believe this marketing strategy is not aimed at us, but at the general public/consumers. It's how they make their brand and differentiate itself from another brand that starts with a B. The thing is, most of those people don't know a lot about SQ BUT they eat this marketing/branding stuff up. It appeals to them. And that's where V-MODA brings to the table great SQ, features, BQ, AND other lifestyle aspects that would appeal to the everyday consumer. Cool names might just appeal to those people. Actually it does now that I think about it.
As for Val asking for input, it's great that he feels comfortable enough to do that. I'm happy to help, no matter how I feel about whether it's good for them as a company or not. That's not my call and in the end it's V-MODA's. I'm sure they know what they're doing.

Agreed. I'm buying based on feedback I read about the SQ as soon as they come out. I personally couldn't care less if V-Moda names a hinge or not, it won't affect my decision to purchase. I'm not at all against V-Moda marketing for the general consumers, I just question if naming a hinge is the best way to do it. I like that Val wants input, and I do know that he knows what he's doing. If I had to give input, it would be this: name it something simple and generic like V-Hinge. Please, no corny stuff like Valiant or Valhalla or Valkyrie or anything. I say that because I genuinely believe that it not only won't appeal to general consumers, but it will also affect more audiophile types (who aren't yet familiar with V-Moda, have a neutral opinion, or maybe even have a negative opinion) into brushing V-Moda off as a non-player in the serious headphones game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by xtasi

I would rather see an advertisement that says the hinges are reinforced with some extra strength steel than they are the new Valhallian Valkyrie hinges made by Odin himself.

Also, cool names do not apply to the general public. What marketing do you see on the beats? Dr. Dre. Thats it. The whole headphone is made of plastic, they have nothing special to call the hinges etc.

And this is partly why I disagree with naming a hinge. I have never seen marketing of this sort for ANY headphones. In fact, I've hardly ever seen it for any tech products. If a tech product has a certain feature, and the company wants to highlight it, they generally do so in a direct manner. Your phone has dual-LEDs for taking flash photos? Then their website will have an interactive picture of the phone with a line pointing to the LEDs saying "Ultra bright dual-LEDs for low light photography. Samsung, allowing you to capture the moments of your life, now any time of the day". They don't give a mere component a name. They tell you what the component/feature is and they tell you why it's better.

How quality does that sound? It just works. It's professional and communicates something meaningful. That type of marketing has always worked well with general consumers. I'm really into cars, and one of the most popular marketing tools in the aftermarket wheels industry is "forged 6061 T-6 aluminum alloy". People who actually know their stuff know that virtually all forged wheels are made of that type of alloy, but being technical in that manner has an intense impression on general consumers.

So stick with that. Tell us "Durable steel/magnesium/whatever hinges that retain 80% resistance over 5000 folding cycles". I think Val even mentioned not that long ago something just like that, that they retain some degree of their resistance over a long period of use. If you want to talk about stuff general consumers gobble up, it's that. They love to read numbers and see how the competitors compare, and then when they see that Beats doesn't even tell you what their hinges are capable of they think "Hmmph! V-Moda must make better hinges because they tell us how good theirs is when Beats won't!".

I agree with the excessive naming. I mean, naming things is fine and all, but naming a hinge and cable is going a bit overboard, Val xD I know you're proud of everything you did and I am proud of your stuff too but I think excessive naming is just going to make you look a bit too giddy and cheap.

I don't mind the naming stuff when Val asks, but i'd agree with UCLA 15 that V-Moda excels at selling by demonstration and excellent technical marketing. I'm not gonna be selling headphones to friends by saying they've got this super VVVVVVVVV binge folding hinge. I was very impressed by the fact that they're put under a huge number of stress tests to assure that their product works superbly, that you can customize them amazingly, and my friend showed me how durable they are by folding the headband flat and returned it back to normal with no problems. No name can possibly as succinct and impressive as a concise statement of the fantastic quality and tests these headphones endure.

I don't mind the naming stuff when Val asks, but i'd agree with UCLA 15 that V-Moda excels at selling by demonstration and excellent technical marketing. I'm not gonna be selling headphones to friends by saying they've got this super VVVVVVVVV binge folding hinge. I was very impressed by the fact that they're put under a huge number of stress tests to assure that their product works superbly, that you can customize them amazingly, and my friend showed me how durable they are by folding the headband flat and returned it back to normal with no problems. No name can possibly as succinct and impressive as a concise statement of the fantastic quality and tests these headphones endure.